Improvement in cheese-hoops



EZRA H obeKlNs.

`.Improvement in Cheese Hoops.

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Eznn'iaooekms, or OARTHAGE, NEw YRK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CH EESE-HOOPS. A*

V rn Specification forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 122,464, dated January 2, 1872; antedated January 1, 1872,

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EZRA lHODGrKINs, of Garthage, in the county of Jeii'erson and State of New York, have invented a new andv useful Improvement in Cheese-Hoops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of, the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 'l is a side elevation showing the locking-plate in place. Fig. 2 is a side view', the locking-plate having been removed. FigYS is a horizontal section in line .r m of Fig. '1; and Fig. 4 is a similar section on an enlarged scale, showing only the parts at and adjacent to the lock.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. l

The object of this invention is to provide for public luse a substantial and durable cheesehoop of simple construction, the edges of which can be readily and Veasily brought to a tight joint and rmly locked together, not merely at one point, but at every point along the seam from the top to the bottom of the hoop. lo this end my invention consists in the construction which I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawing, A represents the body of the hoop provided with handles b "b, said hoop being preferably composed of a single piece bent into an annular form, as shown in Fig. 3, with the edges which are to come in contact tongued and grooved, or provid ed with lapping iianges a a, as shown in Fig. 4, so that when brought together they will form a iirm and tight joint, and each will assist in holding the other in place. Near the edges thus to be joined two strips or plates of metal, M M', are soldered, riveted, or otherwise fastened in any suitable manner, so that while their inner edges m 'm are parallel, their Vouter edges m in recede from each other from top to bottom, as shown in Fig. 2. The projecting iianges a a, may be formed by fastening one of the strips or plates M upon the hoop at a little distance from the edge, so that on this side the hoop itself projecting from under the plate operates as one iange, while on the other side the plate M is attached to the hoop so as to project over the edge thereof, and thus operate as the other lan ge. Instead of plates fastened to the hoop, the hoops may be constructed with ribs,

Adown the side of the hoop, as clearlyseen in Fig. 2. In connection' with the key thus formed I employ a locking-plate, W, which fits close against the side of the hoop and is provided with a tapering dovetail groove, o, on its inner face, exactly corresponding to the dovetail key M M. 'y By interlocking the groove and key and then sliding the plate W-dowm ward, the edges of the hoop are brought together with great force and a perfectly secure and tight joint is made, which cannot be opened nor 4started until the plate VW is removed again. The latter is provided with a handle, w, by which it can be conveniently pressed down or drawn up out of place.' When the lookin g-.plate WV is removed the hoop opens to any force acting outwardly.

The advantage of this construction over all other methods heretofore employed for locking cheese-hoops is manifold. In the first place, the construction is simple, inexpensive, and never liable to get out of order or need any repairs whatever. `In the second place, all parts can be easily washed and kept perfectly clean and sweet without difficulty. In the third place, the pressure that holds the edges ofthe hoop close against each other is not applied at one or two points, but uniformly along' the whole joint, so that no part of the hoops can ever be sprung out-oi' place or warped in any manner whatever; and in the fourth place, the lockingplate can be applied or removed in an instant, without loss ot' time or labor.

In connection with my improved metallic cheese-hoop, which is, of course, not capable ot' expansion or contraction by different degrees oi' moisture, I use a wooden follower,

which, by means of boiling in oil orv Iilling the.

pores with any other water-proof substances, I render it impervious to moisture and therefore not expansible by its action.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A cheese-hoop having its edges adapted to be locked together by means of :i tapering.

dovetal key formed upon the hoop, in combination with a looking-plate provided with a. tapering dovetail groove, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. A cheese-hoop having lapping edges a a and a tapering key, M M', in combination with the looking-plate W, constructed as described.

EZRA HODGKIN S.

Witnesses A. C. RAWLINGS,

C. F. BROWN. (45) 

